Daily Archives: November 16, 2010

Last summer I broke down and bought a Kindle. Honestly, I have had very few regrets.

One of the coolest things is some of the really old public domain things you can find on there for free–the classics, of course, but also some things you would never otherwise have looked for.

A few days ago I found this free e-book entitled The Frugal American Housewife, written in 1832 by Lydia Childs. She’s a wonderful, smart, very down-to-earth, and exceptionally pragmatic writer, and her book is a very no-nonsense tome with tips for everything–and while admittedly I don’t generally use saltpetre around the house, and I seldom use calf-gall for anything, she’s got some good herbal information and some cool recipes. Mostly, she’s just fun to read–her analysis of American consumerism (even in the 19th century) is remarkably on target.

If you have a Kindle, or an iPhone or other app-bearing device, or even a PC–I highly recommend this just as a good read, if nothing else!